Another World
by Gambit's Girl Silversi
Summary: When someone from our world ends up in ancient Greece, everybody wants to get a hold of her. From the god of war, to the king of thieves, to the king of the gods himself. How do Herc and Iolaus deal with all of this?
1. Another World

Another World

By: Gambit's Girl

Hey ya'll…hope you like my Hercules story. It's going to be kind of a Mary Sue story, so if that turns you off, sorry but it's the facts. But the main character does have a bit of a twist to her. Read on to find out what. 

Disclaimer: I own Kim…the others are *sigh* on loan. 

*Location* Our Earth

In nowhere South Dakota a college student was heading out to the state park to get some homework done. It was one of those warm days when the possibility for anything could happen. She had her heavy book bag slung over one shoulder, and a bottle of diet mountain dew in her other hand. She was dressed casually in a pair of long shorts that fell just short of her knees, and a white shirt trimmed in black that read 8:28. Her short brown hair reached her shoulders, but she usually had it tucked behind her ears, or in a ponytail to keep it out of the way. Her dark brown eyes were beautiful to look at it, definitely considered her best feature. She wasn't what many people would call pretty…and she was a bit chubby, but she got along all right. 

Kim Eich sighed loudly as she opened up her algebra book and set it on her lap. Math had always been her worst subject, for like…ever. But she took a sip of her diet mountain dew and prepared to dive into the world of exponents and variables. 

*Location* …Somewhere in Greece

"That's _enough_, Ares!" Hercules grunted as he dodged lightening bolt, after fire bolt, after large stones that the god of war was throwing at him. 

"Yeah…go get him Herc!" Hercules' side-kick and partner Iolaus panted from the sidelines. He was having his own fun by trying to defeat Ares' newest creation: a panther-like cat that if unleashed onto Greece would cause enough destruction and mayhem to bring it to its knees. Iolaus agreed that Ares needed a new agenda, something besides trying to take over Greece one week after another. 

"I'll tell you when I've had enough." Ares said menacingly. He glared at his half brother. Hercules was a demi-god (or half god). He had shoulder length sandy colored hair, stood about 6'3", and had biceps bigger then the largest person's fists…put together. His goal in life was to make Greece a better place to live, and that meant constantly putting up with his annoying half full-god brother, Ares. Ares stood just as tall as Hercules, just as strong as Hercules, with the same length of hair as Hercules…his being black instead of brown. But Ares had two common goals in life, the destruction of Greece, and the death of Hercules. He didn't really care which came first, just as long as they both happened. 

Hercules took a lightening bolt right in the stomach that propelled him backward into a pillar holding up the establishment. He shakily got to his feet and dusted off his clothes. "Alright…now I'm really starting to get angry." He glanced over at Iolaus to make sure he was still doing alright, before charging at Ares again. 

Iolaus was having a heck of a time trying to keep this panther from making shish-ka-bob out of him. Dodging to the side of the cat, and then dodging again, Iolaus had a plan. The regular human being, Iolaus, also known as Hercules side-kick was almost the exact opposite of the demi-god. He stood about 5'6" off the ground, had curly blonde hair that didn't quite reach his shoulders, and enjoyed a good dancing girl as much as the next guy. While Iolaus didn't have his partner's strength, he had endurance and quick wit that helped him out of more then one situation after another. Hercules often felt that Iolaus might be living in his shadow, but Iolaus knew where he stood, (besides a foot below his partner) and he was always there.  

Iolaus had spied the metal chain that was hanging near a torch in the wall just a second after the panther started charging him. If he could just get his hands on that chain, he could tame this kitten. He lunged for the chain, and right when he got his hand around it, he felt razor sharp teeth sinking into the flesh of his calf. It wasn't a hard bite, but it was a 'you'd better come down here or else' kind of bite. Gritting his teeth against the pain that was sure to come, Iolaus yanked the chain down from the wall, and snapped it at the panther like a whip. The panther let go surprisingly fast, and faster then even he believed he made a loop of the chain and tossed it over the panther's neck in a chokehold. Straining against the panther's strength, Iolaus made his way back to the torch, and tied a quick not…as well as you could tie a knot in chains, then jumped out of the path of the panther. Standing just far enough so that the panther couldn't get at him Iolaus smiled at him. "You _have been into the cat nip again…haven't you?"_

Iolaus turned to see if there was any way that he could help out Hercules against Ares. They were now decking it out with fists and kicks against one another. Ares was starting to prevail with his 'godly' strength against Hercules. Hercules was beginning to tire, and Iolaus really wanted to help his friend out. He had taken one step toward them when a lightening bolt (from Zeus' hand himself) flew down at them through the ceiling, and separated the two half brothers, throwing them against opposite walls of the building, Ares landed near his pet panther, and Hercules flew at Iolaus who tried to break his fall, but ended up getting squished against the wall and Hercules. Hercules stood up and turned and smiled at Iolaus. "Thanks for breaking my fall, buddy." He quickly got up to resume the fight.

Iolaus remained against the wall in the position he had landed in, but managed to choke out the words. "No problem, Herc." Ares got up at the same time that Hercules did, and they both noticed the huge swirling portal that had opened. This wasn't the first time this had happened…or the second or the third. Hercules practically held his breath waiting for the Sovereign to come out. Ares, likewise, was waiting for something cataclysmic to happen. Iolaus….was just struggling for air. 

Like that they waited…

*Location* South Dakota

Kim glanced up from her world of numbers as the wind started to pick up, and thunder boomed in the sky. She thought that it might rain, so she quickly stood up and stuffed all of her belongings into her bag. She decided that she'd head off to the school library to get some work done. At least inside she wouldn't get rained out. Hefting her back on to her right shoulder, then her deciding to slip it over her left shoulder as well, she began the long trek back to her car. The wind began to really pick up faster, and harder. Thunder boomed again. Kim vaguely wondered if there was to be a tornado or something. She held on to her bag tightly, and walked the path to her car. 

Besides the wind trying to make her go backward, Kim didn't think anything was unusual…until she realized that she was no longer walking forward. She glanced down at her feet, and saw that she they were still moving, but she wasn't going anywhere. Confused, she glanced backward, and totally freaked out. There was this huge blue swirling mass directly behind her. She had no idea what it was, but it was sucking in leaves and anything unfortunate enough to get directly in front of it. Deciding that this might not be the best place to try and go, she started to try and run ahead of her. Unfortunately she lost her grip on the smooth paved road, and she started to go backward. Before she had known what had happened, she was almost in the blue mass. Desperately trying to get away, Kim scrambled on her hands and knees for leverage but there was nothing there. Some dirt flew into her eyes, and as she lifted one hand up to wipe it out, that was all the balance she didn't have, and she careened into the portal, head first. 

*Location* …somewhere in Greece

They had stared at the portal for a minute or two, and nothing was happening. They decided that the Sovereign wasn't going to come out, and Ares and Hercules glared at each other from across the room, ready to continue the fight. 

"Wait!" Iolaus cried out, taking a hesitant step forward. He thought he heard screaming coming from inside the portal. Suddenly the all heard it, and saw a woman being thrown out, head first of the portal. She was screaming at the top of her lungs, and when she hit the ground she had so much momentum that she just kept going. She barreled into Iolaus, making him lose his balance and stumble to the ground. She landed roughly on top of him, just as the portal closed soundly behind them. Iolaus stared up at the mysterious stranger sitting on top of him, and realized that he didn't recognize her. "Who are you?" Iolaus asked her. 

"Who are you?!" The woman screeched, and scrambled off him, and stumbled to her knees on the floor. She glanced around the room so fast, Iolaus could have sworn she had gotten whiplash. "Who are you people?!" She saw Hercules and Ares in a fast glance, and then got to her feet quickly, even with the heavy bag on her back. 

"Calm down." Hercules said, and tried to grab her, but she wasn't close enough. She ran to the doors, but found them locked. She looked like a caged animal. 

"Oh this just gets keeps getting better…and _better." Ares growled and smiled evilly while looking at the young woman racing around his temple in a frenzy. Charging up some energy in his hands he aimed right at her, and prepared to fire. _

While…that's all folks…at least for this chapter. Tell me what you think, anything you'd like to see or have me change. Reviews are awesome. Please tell me what you think?


	2. Don't Mess With Me, Pal

Another World

A/N: Ya know when I said that this would be kind of a Mary Sue story? Well…lets just say that you have to get to know the character first. Once you know her…she's Mary Sueish…but in this chapter, she's the complete opposite.

Hercules glanced at Ares as he released the fireball in midair. Not even thinking, he grabbed the strange young woman roughly by the arm, and pushed her down to the stone floor, landing half on top of her. It was an awkward position, since she landed on her back, on top of her bag. His chest landed on her legs, until he moved quickly to cover her head with a hand just incase Ares immediately re-fired. The plan worked, the fireball hit the wall directly where the woman would have been standing. "That was a little too close for comfort." Hercules mumbled to himself. He swore his hair had gotten singed on that one. "Iolaus!" 

"I'm on it, Herc!" Iolaus called out, even as Ares started to aim again. He scrambled over to them, jerked the woman up by both wrists, and started toward the way they had entered. She was too disoriented to offer much resistance. "See you outside!" He yelled to his friend, ducking both his and the woman's heads down as Ares tried, again unsuccessfully, to nail them with a fireball. Ares was really starting to get ticked off now. He started after Iolaus and the stranger as they exited through a narrow tunnel off to the side. 

"I don't think so, Ares." Hercules said, as he stepped into his path.

"Out of my way." Ares commanded Hercules. "I have as much right to her as you."

"There's only one problem with that." Hercules said with a smile. "You've got to get through me first." He cracked his knuckles suggestively. His bait worked perfectly, the god of war could never resist a good fight. He could use the young woman later, but now he had to give his brother a sound thrashing. 

`~`~`

"Let go of me!" The woman screamed at Iolaus who was dragging her forward by her left arm. She was resisting with all of her might, and had (more then once) tried to jerk her arm back. The problem was that this guy (whoever he was) was a lot stronger then he looked. He not once let go of her arm, even when she started freaking out. 

"Would you quit struggling?" Iolaus asked, turning to glance back at her. He rolled his eyes. He thought rescuing damsels in distress was supposed to be easy. Whatever happened to a woman being grateful for getting her neck saved? Iolaus would much rather get a kiss on the cheek then an earful of curses. "We're almost there." The woman jerked her arm backward again. Iolaus clenched his teeth and turned to face her. She paused for a second, thinking she may have just crossed the line. He looked severely pissed off. She was only an inch or so taller then him, but he looked like he knew how to handle himself. "Alright, that's it." After he had turned completely around and was facing her, he let her arm go. She immediately started to rub the red spot where he had been holding her…perhaps a bit too tight. "What's your problem?"

The young woman gaped at him. "_My problem?! You're the one who kidnapped me, and dragged me out here…and you want to know what __my problem is?!" She screamed at him, and stood her ground. _

Iolaus was impressed. He may be a small guy, but almost nobody had the courage to just stand there and yell at him…maybe that was because he always was with Hercules. "Calm down, alright?" He asked gently, both hands out in calming way. "Why don't we start with a name? What do they call you?"

The woman looked like she was in no mood to calm down, and expressed her feelings when she glared at him. "Why would you care?"

"You know, I just saved your life." Iolaus grumbled to her. "The least you could be is grateful." 

"I can take care of myself." The woman retorted, daring Iolaus to say that she couldn't. 

Easing off a bit, Iolaus took a deep breath. "Look, all I want to know is your name. I'm Iolaus." He stuck out his hand toward her.

The woman stared at his hand for a second, then finally relented, and very hesitantly accepted his hand. "Kim." She said quietly. Iolaus smiled at his small triumph, and she jerked her head up as if just realizing that she'd given in. "Now I'm leaving, alright?"

She started to walk away, but Iolaus jumped in her path. "Where will you go? Have you ever been here before?"

Kim ground her teeth together and clenched her hands tightly. "Look, unless you want to get hurt, I'd back off…alright? I know Tae Kwon Do, and I'm not afraid to defend myself."

Iolaus squinted at that term. "Tae Kwon Do? What's that?"

Figuring that he was just trying to stall her until that big guy came back she took a big step around him. "Never mind. Leave me alone." 

Realizing that he wasn't getting where he wanted with this, Iolaus decided on one final tactic. He had to keep her distracted until Hercules came back and the two of them could get this thing figured out. "Alright, you want to take me on? Lets go, right now. You and I." He motioned for her to come after him. 

Kim looked at him almost amused. "You'd attack a chick?"

"A chicken?" Iolaus asked confused, then shook his head. "Come one. You think you're so tough, lets go."

Kim shook her head at him. "I only defend myself." She started to push past him, but he grabbed her forearm in a tight grip. She gave him a second, and when he still wouldn't let go she glanced down at him. "Let me go."

"No." Iolaus answered with a smirk. He glanced at the sun wondering how long they had been at this. Hercules had better get back soon, this was one troublesome woman. 

The second that he glanced at the sun, Kim pulled her right arm back, and punched Iolaus square in the jaw. He looked back at her in surprise and immediately released her. She jumped back a foot, and immediately stepped into a fighting stance, feet spread apart arms up. She was so willing to let off a little steam right now. "I'm a red belt, dude. You sure you want to mess with me?"

Iolaus held his jaw with one hand…damn….that had hurt. And what was a 'dude'? He glanced toward her again, not wanting to hurt her. How could he slow her down enough until Hercules took care of Ares? "Look, I don't want to hurt you." 

"Too late." Kim said, hopping a bit on her feet, waiting to start the fight. A true martial artist never initiated a fight, but they sure as hell had a right to defend themselves. "Come one, bring it on…shorty." That was it. Nobody called Iolaus shorty. He lost what was left of his patience and came toward her. Kim was waiting for him, and just as she was about to swing a roundhouse kick, with her toes pointed toward the sky, right at Iolaus' head, she found herself completely lifted off the ground. 

"Hiya, Herc." Iolaus said, grinning broadly, mostly in relief. 

Hercules looked down at the woman who had been about to attack his friend. He had gotten there just in time to prevent her from kicking him. Sure Iolaus could take care of himself…but Hercules had always been a bit protective of his friend. So when he had come up behind the stranger, he had immediately grabbed the hook on her backpack and lifted up. His plan worked like a charm, she was practically completely immobile. She hung by her arms through the bag straps, legs swaying slightly about two feet off the ground. Being a demigod definitely had its advantages. She was speechless…for a second or two. Then, after the shock had worn off, she took action. She started squirming with all her might, and Hercules found her a little tougher to hold up with just one hand so he switched to two. 

"Let me go!!" She screamed loudly. She kick back with her foot and nailed him in the knee. He grunted but didn't let her go. He did end up setting her on the ground, but he took both of her arms in his hands, and held her completely still. He turned her around so that she was facing him. She glared at him for a second, but he waited patiently. He waited a second for her calm down before he started to talk to her.

"Alright," Hercules said quietly, as he glanced at Iolaus then back to her again. "I want you to calm down, and tell me your name; two things that would be in your best interest right now. Alright?"

"Her name is Kim." Iolaus piped up from behind her. Hercules looked over Kim's head to meet his partner's eyes. Iolaus shrugged. "I got that out of her before she punched me.

"She punched you?!" Hercules asked, totally surprised. He looked back down at him, the hint of a smile tugging at his lips. "You punched him?!"

"I was holding back." Iolaus mumbled, and shook his head, disgusted.

"Listen, we're here to help." Hercules said gently to Kim, who was visibly now starting to calm down. She was still straining against Hercules' hold on her arms, but that was the extent of her struggles. "Will you let us help you?"

Kim swallowed, then she whispered so quietly, that Hercules almost missed what she said. Iolaus had leaned in close also. "I don't know how I got here." Then even quieter she mumbled. "Please help me."

Well…that's all for this chapter folks. Hope ya liked it. Please review! =)


	3. A thief and a god

Kim quickened her pace to match those of the two men a few feet ahead of her. Hercules had such long legs that he strode forward quickly, and even though Iolaus was a short guy, he seemed used to the breakneck pace they were using. "Where are we going?" She panted. 

"We need to get away from Ares' temple." Hercules glanced over his shoulder to look at her. "Once we get far enough away, we'll make camp and figure out what to do."

Kim shifted the heavy bag on her shoulders uncomfortably. "If it wouldn't cost me a fortune when I do get home, I would _so dump these books." She grumbled to herself. Instead of concentrating on the load on her back, she decided to think about her mysterious rescuers. She blushed slightly thinking of how bitchy she must have sounded to them. The big guy had said that his name was Hercules, and his partner was Iolaus. Was it possible that they were the guys from all the Greek Mythology she'd studied over the years? It was so fanatical. It made sense though, he was strong. He had lifted her up off the ground by her book bag. Not many people could lift her alone…but __with the thirty extra pounds of books?! Kim stumbled over an upward facing root, and shuffled forward. Iolaus grabbed her right elbow, while Hercules grabbed her left. They both asked her if she was alright, and she could only mumble something barely discernable. She was just starting to realize…hey they were kind of cute._

It was almost twilight by the time they finally stopped for the night. They had slowed their pace for awhile, by means of a rest, then continued right on again fast walking. When Hercules announced that they'd stop in a grove of trees, Kim sighed in relief and immediately fell to her knees, then sat down, making herself comfortable. Hercules and Iolaus chuckled and shook their heads. It was decided that Iolaus would go find some quail for supper while Hercules would get a nice fire going. By the time the quail was cooked, and the fire was roaring Kim was sleeping peacefully on her stomach, using her right arm as a pillow. She had her bag set close to her. The two men shrugged, and divided up the quail, setting aside a small portion for her if she decided she was hungry later. 

"What all do you think she's got in there?" Iolaus asked Hercules, looking over the plump book bag. 

Hercules shrugged as he gnawed on a bone. "Something expensive it sounded like." Iolaus started to creep forward to have a look. "Iolaus!" Hercules whispered urgently. But then he decided that he couldn't curb his own curiosity and he moved to join his friend. 

"She said something about books earlier…do you think she's a scholar?" Iolaus whispered to Hercules as he quietly grabbed the bag, and brought it to their side of the campfire.

Hercules shrugged. "Could be. We don't know hardly anything about her." 

Iolaus paused at unzipping her bag. He looked at his friend seriously for a second. "Do you really think we can send her home?"

Hercules looked over to her peaceful sleeping form, and listened to her breathing for a second. "I don't know, Iolaus. She's obviously not from the world with the Sovereign, and we know how to get there. It might be harder to get her back to wherever she's from." 

Iolaus nodded thoughtfully for a second, then grinned and dug into the bag. "Well lets see what we've got here…" He started pulling things out of the compartment. When he had finished he sat amidst a pile of four books (some with numbers and pictures, but all in a strange language they couldn't read); a bottle with a yellow substance in it with writing they didn't understand; there were two small packages with different colors on them and more strange writing. Hercules investigated this and realized there was something in it, and opened the candy bar. He examined the chocolate carefully, then broke a piece off, and reluctantly put it in his mouth. After he chewed it thoughtfully for a few seconds he nodded approvingly at Iolaus who was watching him carefully. "Its good…sweet." He broke a piece of and handed it to Iolaus who shrugged and ate it. 

Iolaus grimaced and almost spit out the Butterfinger candy bar. "Yech. Too sweet if you ask me."

Hercules set the candy bar down and started to leaf through one of the books laying on the dirt. He stared at the algebraic symbols confused. "When would someone need to know this?" He tossed the book down onto the ground again, and grabbed another…then he couldn't resist and picked up the candy bar again and took another big bite. 

Iolaus started to leaf through some notebooks, and cocked his head to the side trying to understand the strange writing. He glanced up at Hercules as he finished off the Butterfinger candy bar. "Why would she have all of these strange possessions?"

"I'm not sure." Hercules shrugged, and sighed contently. He stretched back out again, his hands weaved behind his head, and he stared up at the stars. After a few seconds he glanced over to see Iolaus staring at a picture he had found. "What's that?"

"It's a small picture with her…and a few other females on it." He raised an eyebrow. "They're wearing some weird clothing." 

Hercules glanced over at the picture to see Kim and her friends decked out in their Tae Kwon Do uniforms, posing stupidly for the camera. "Huh." He settled back down again. "Well…how do you feel about paying a visit to Zeus' temple?"

Iolaus started to put all of the belongings back in her bag; he glanced over to his friend. "Zeus' temple? Why?"

"I'm not sure of any other way that we can get her home. She isn't from here…that much is obvious. If anyone can get her back to her own place and time, then it has to be Zeus." He spoke quietly, but Hercules could hear the obvious distaste in his friend's voice to have to ask his father for a favor. Iolaus had 'once upon a time' been impressed when he heard about the happenings of Zeus. 

Iolaus nodded and finished placing the things back in Kim's bag; he set it back down where he had gotten it, and moved back to his spot by the fire. He couldn't help but glance once more at her peaceful face while she was sleeping. "Its kind of a shame. She seemed like a sweet kid…well…when she wasn't trying to punch me in the face."

Hercules laughed and shook his head at his friend, before turning onto his side to prepare to fall asleep. The even breathing of the young woman held his attention for a second before he closed his eyes, and pushed aside the worry that Zeus' might not be able to help. 

~`~`~

"Wow! This is really good!!" Kim said as she eagerly ate her portion of yesterday's quail. She had never been much of an outdoors type of person...she'd done her share of camping but they'd always brought hot dogs along. This was definitely the salt of the earth type food. Hercules and Iolaus had watched her in amusement for a bit. They'd never shown such enthusiasm over cold quail. "So…what's on the agenda for today, guys?"

Hercules and Iolaus glance at each other. Iolaus spoke up. "What's an agenda?"

Kim chuckled a bit. "Game plan? Schedule? To-Do list?" She shrugged. "Just a few terms we use where I'm from." She licked her fingers off, and then sighed contently. "So…are we gonna try and get me home today?"

"Uh…yeah." Hercules said. "That's the…game plan." 

"Cool!" Kim said. "I mean…this place is cool and all…but yeah…I like my bed…my home…my friends."

Hercules nodded. "We were going to head up to Zeus' temple. It's a two day walk from here…but he should be able to get you home."

"Zeus?!" Kim asked, astonished. "As in the king of the gods?" She paused when she saw Hercules disgruntled expression. "Sorry…you must get that a lot."

"No, its alright." Hercules shrugged. "But yeah, hopefully he'll be able to send you back home again."

"Alright." Kim said, and dusted off her hands. "What are we waiting for?"

~`~`~

They had been walking for over an hour by now, Kim decided. The view was breathtakingly beautiful. Whenever she wasn't asking Hercules or Iolaus about their adventures, she'd just stare at the country as they passed it by. They were just entering a damp forest when the peaceful silence that had existed for a few minutes was interrupted by heavy footfalls of someone running toward them from the opposite end of the forest. 

Hercules and Iolaus glanced at each other. They stopped walking. They had been walking in a row, with Hercules to the left (carrying Kim's back pack on his shoulders), Kim in the middle and Iolaus to the right. As soon as they saw the hulking man running toward them, Iolaus sprang into action by grabbing Kim around her upper arm, and jerking her backward behind him and Hercules. She had barely gotten a muffled 'hey' out before Iolaus shushed her with a hand to his lips and a slight glare. She got the point and shut up. 

"Can I help you?" Hercules asked the man as he came forward. He had a hand out in a gesture meant to either protect Kim or to keep her back. The man stopped five feet away gasping for breath. "Catch your breath, Iolaus give him a drink of water." Iolaus produced a flask of water he had been carrying on his shoulders, and tossed it to the man. He drank readily, and nodded his thanks to Iolaus before tossing the flask back. 

"My thanks to you, Iolaus." He turned back to Hercules. "Hercules, I know that you don't recognize me, or have any reason to trust me…but our city needs help."

Hercules nodded for him to continue. "Go ahead."

"We had just gotten a rare statue for our antique museum. It was rumored that the very base of the state was coated in gold. The same night that we had placed the statue in our museum, someone slipped through our security and stole it right out from under our noses!" The man looked from Hercules to Iolaus, then to Kim who was peeking at him from the side of Hercules' right arm. He smiled at her warmly, she smiled back and then he got back to business. "We need your help Hercules. We need to catch the perpetrator before he melts down the statue to sell! It's very important that we get it back! It was rumored that the statue was given to the founder of Thenmra by Zeus himself! Please help us!" 

"Calm yourself." Hercules said, and nodded to the man. He glanced at Iolaus, who glanced at him. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Iolaus stared at Hercules for a second…then another second. He glanced back at Kim then to Hercules. "Oh!" He chuckled a bit. "Autolycus!"

Hercules nodded. "Don't worry, we'll help you. Go tell you're people that we will be there by this evening." 

"Thank you Hercules. Thank you Iolaus! You really are good people!!" He smiled at Kim again who was still peeking over Hercules' arm, then he turned on his heel and ran back the way he had come, back through the forest. 

Hercules paused for a moment then turned to face Kim. He smiled slightly. "Well…uh…Kim. How would you like a detour to Zeus' temple?"


	4. The Plan

A/N: Hey ya'll!! Sorry for the _extreme lack in updates. It's been a busy summer. But I finally have some time…and I've watched some Herc on dvd so I think I'm ready to keep going on the story. Well anyway…yeah. Here goes nothing!! ;)_

Kim couldn't believe this. She was almost going to get home…and now some dumb thief had to mess everything up. Hercules was still staring at her waiting for her to reply. Iolaus took a quick drink from his water flask then offered it to Kim who drank greedily, ignoring Hercules for the moment. This was the first time that day that she'd been offered a drink, so she was going to take as much as she could. Hercules had to finally pry it out of her hands (spilling a bunch on her face) so that she wouldn't make herself sick from drinking so much, and when he lifted the flask up to his mouth to drink, it was empty save for a drop or two that splattered his face. He held his comment in check, but rolled his eyes noticeably. "Well…I am sorry, but this matter is a little more urgent then the one you have right now." Hercules said.

"How would you know how urgent it is?!" Kim said, starting to freak out. "Maybe I have stuff to do right away, that can't wait for you to go play bounty hunter!"

"There is no bounty." Iolaus supplied helpfully. "We do it just to…do it." He shrugged.

"What kind of things?" Hercules asked, looking down at her ignoring Iolaus for the moment, clenching the empty flask in his hand.

"Like…" Kim faltered and looked up at him meekly, defeated. "Important stuff?"

Hercules sighed loudly, and spoke to his friend instead. "Would you keep an eye on her while I go find that stream we passed not too long ago?" Iolaus nodded and Hercules left to backtrack to the stream. 

Iolaus sat down on a nearby rock and began fiddling with his sword, while Kim found herself a nice stump, fuming. "Keep an eye on me." She grumbled. "I'm not a child." She looked up and glared at Iolaus. "Do you always treat women this way?"

Iolaus put his hands in the air defensively, the sword coming up w/ one of them. "I don't. Hercules doesn't. We just try and protect women…" He could see her tensing up for another outburst so he quickly added, "but our women aren't like you who are so able to protect themselves."

Kim relaxed noticeably, and so did Iolaus when he realized that he had averted a fight. Kim glanced quickly back toward the direction that Hercules had disappeared, before turning conspiratorially back to Iolaus. "Do you know where it is?" She whispered. 

"Where what is…the Temple of Zeus?" Iolaus asked loudly, and then ducked his head at her 'shushing' him. "Sorry." He whispered back. He warily watched her creep over to him and sit right next to him. He turned to face her, setting his sword beside him on the opposite side.

"If you could give me directions, then the two of you wouldn't have to bother with escorting me there." Kim whispered excitedly. "I'd be out of your hair…" She noticed Iolaus dumbfounded look. "So to speak…and you could go catch a thief." 

"Hercules would never go for it." Iolaus said, shaking his head, immediately. "You're under his protection, you'd have to convince him first."

"But you're his best friend!" Kim said exasperated. "_You could talk to him. You know him __much better then I do!" _

Iolaus smiled back at her. "But I'm not the one that needs directions."

"_Please_?!" Kim practically begged him. She was almost on her knees. She wasn't sure why she wanted to leave so bad, but she had a feeling that if she couldn't get home soon…then she wouldn't be able to get home at all; besides if she was here much longer her friends and family were bound to worry about her, and her part-time job was another story altogether.

Iolaus just stared at her with an apologetic smile, and shrugged. "Sorry."

"Grr!" Kim growled at him, missing his cheeky smile and him trying to hide his laughter. She turned and glared at him. "_Men!" She hissed in frustration. Hercules came back a few minutes later and Kim glared at him, still annoyed with Iolaus. "Lets go!" She shouted at him._

Hercules actually took a step back from her, then watched her march angrily off ahead of them. He glanced at Iolaus who was still chuckling. Herc had gotten his own temper under control by now. "What's with her?"

Iolaus shrugged nonchalantly, his eyes twinkling. Hercules decided to get the truth from him later, and shrugged and easily caught up to Kim's angry strides. Iolaus shook his head and followed his best friend. He was really starting to like this girl. 

~`~`~

After they had been walking for awhile Kim asked for her book bag back from Hercules. He kind of gave her a sideways glance of, "why?" but didn't question her and slipped it off and handed it over to her. Kim wasn't really in the mood to be carrying around thirty pounds of books, but if she was going to get anywhere then she was going to need her things. She figured that once these two guys got hot on the trail of the thief then she could slip quietly away. There had to be other people out there who knew where the Temple of Zeus was. It was the perfect plan. Besides, these two would be too occupied with trying to get back a fortune in gold rather then track her down to "escort" her away. It could work. It _would_ work.

She spent most of the day formulating her plan to herself and didn't really pay too much attention to what Hercules and Iolaus were doing…which was talking quietly about her, Autolycus, and the whole grand scheme of things. Iolaus hadn't mentioned Kim's scheme, and probably wouldn't unless the subject came up. 

They arrived that night in Thenmra to a grand welcome to the whole town. Everyone was ecstatic to see the legendary Hercules…and his side-kick. Hercules just shrugged it off and asked about accommodations. Over half the town was willing to offer lodging for the three-some, but Hercules thought it might be a better idea to just stay at an Inn for the night, then get right on the trail of Autolycus in the morning. People eagerly showed them to a place called _Apollo's Castle_. The Innkeeper was more then happy to have Hercules staying there, so he gave the three rooms to him for no charge. 

Hercules found the man who had contacted him and the four of them went to a tavern to get some supper. The man had never actually told Hercules his name when he found them in the forest headed toward the Temple of Zeus. "I'm Eriphicles." He said, holding out his hand to each of them in turn. "I'm sorry I was so rushed before to have forgotten that." They were sitting around a small table waiting for their food to arrive. They didn't notice that Kim was "eating" a lot more bread then the rest of them. At least that's what it looked like. She was actually stuffing most of it into her bag, cringing at the crumbs it was going to make. But she figured she'd have to have food out there on the road so this would work out okay. The food arrived and they all ate hungrily. Eriphicles filling in the gaps of what they needed to know. From what Kim could gather, Autolycus had a very big ego calling himself 'The King of Thieves'. He was the prime suspect and was probably heading toward Athens to sell the gold. But if he was smart then he would melt it down before hand to make it easier for travel. That's what Eriphicles and the townspeople thought he'd do, but they wanted him caught before such a thing could happen. 

Kim only half listened to most of what they were saying, more interested in finalizing her plans for her escape that night. Iolaus was observing her out of the corner of his eye and wondered what scheme she was up to, but kept his mouth shut in case he was over-reacting. It was well into the night before Hercules decided that they had better get some rest before they started their hunt tomorrow. He had also mentioned casually to Kim that it would be for her own good if she stayed in Thenmra while they searched for The King of Thieves. She just casually shrugged knowing she was going to be long gone before they got around to bossing her around anymore. 

When she got back to her room she paced around anxiously, wondering how long she should wait before making her great escape. She pressed her ear to the door and didn't hear a sound. She guessed that it had to be around one o'clock in the morning or so. She quietly eased the door open, wincing when it creaked slightly. She tiptoed toward the direction of Hercules' & Iolaus' rooms. Pressing her ear to the doors she could hear even breathing and loud snoring. Now was the perfect time.

Sighing quietly to herself she nodded to convince herself that this was the best course of action. It was time that she started thinking for herself. These guys would be too preoccupied to come after her. She'd find the Temple of Zeus and…somehow send her home. The one question that kept coming up in her mind though…was how could you appeal to the King of the gods when you didn't believe in them?

~`~`~

Kim squinted at the sun that was almost directly overhead now. She stumbled along from lack of sleep and sustenance. The bread that she had packed the night before was nothing _but_ crumbs. She tried to scoop them up and eat it…but it was stale and gross. She wasn't _that_ hungry…yet. She hadn't really come across and villagers, villages, or farms. She'd seen one right outside of Thenmra, but it had been too early to pound on the door and ask for directions, so she'd just been wandering in the general direction that Hercules and Iolaus had set out on…at least she _thought_ it was the general direction.

Sighing to herself she realized that she needed some help. She didn't want to lay down in the forest to take a nap, it was kind of a tortoise and hare kinda thing. If she did that she'd probably wake up to Hercules and Iolaus finding her. She didn't want to burden them any longer with getting her home. They obviously had more important things to do. Right as Kim was about to find a nice peaceful spot in the shade to rest for a bit when she saw someone up ahead of her in the distance. The person was in the shade of a large tree, and was wearing a cloak with a hood to hide their face. "Hello?" Kim called out hesitantly, gaining the person's attention. The person looked up, obviously a bit startled. Kim heard a thud behind her, and glanced quickly behind to see a rabbit scurring away into a hole. Relieved that it wasn't an angry Hercules she turned back to look ahead of her, only to find that the person was gone. 

Kim took a few hesitant steps forward, nervously clutching her book bag straps, with her bag slung over both shoulders. "Was someone there?" She asked, cringing at how nervous her voice sounded. Swallowing nervously she took a few more steps forward. If the person was hostile…she could defend herself. But what if he or she leapt down from the trees in a surprise attack? Then what? "He—

The person jumped down directly in front of her. And I mean _directly. They were nose to nose until Kim stumbled back to put a bit of space between them. He was definitely a man by the look of him, wearing a green tunic, and black leather pants. He still had the hood pulled over his face, so she couldn't yet tell what he looked like. "Um…hi." Kim said a bit nervously. She continued to back a way a bit in her fright, the man took a few steps closer to her. "I was just wondering if you could help me?" She squeaked out, and forced herself to stop backing up. She stiffened her back and held out her hand. "My name's Kim."_

The man glanced down at her hand for a second before lowering his hood and shaking her hand. "Autolycus." 


End file.
